Online sales and ‘click and collect’ were the real success stories this Christmas, demonstrating just how critical it is for retailers to invest in their eCommerce channel in order to drive growth.
Online sales and ‘click and collect’ were the real success stories this Christmas, demonstrating just how critical it is for retailers to invest in their eCommerce channel in order to drive growth.
Retailers with a strong web offering were proven to be the winners this Christmas as online shopping reached a new high in the UK. Figures from accountancy firm BDO revealed that online sales rose 31.1 percent in December compared with last year, rising to a growth of 56 percent in the week before Christmas.
Online purchasing was driven by discounts appearing online before they were made available in-store, an increase in shopping via mobile devices and tablets, as well as more confidence that purchases would be delivered in time for Christmas.
John Lewis reported that sales from its website accounted for almost a third (31.8 percent) of total sales over the festive period – up from 26.5 percent in 2012 – with Managing Director Andy Street claiming that the retailer has had a “genuine omnichannel Christmas.”
Whilst other retailers are still coming to terms with how to sell online, John Lewis believes that its multichannel offer has differentiated it from rivals and led to its continued success. “We’ve worked out how online and in-store go hand in glove. The point for us is that the two have got to work together”, said Street.
Online sales are expected to account for half of John Lewis’ turnover in the next few years, with the retailer confident that they need both bricks and clicks to continue to be successful.
With many retailers set to report disappointing sales from Christmas, the importance of having a successful eCommerce strategy which is seamlessly integrated into a retailer’s omnichannel offering is more important than ever.
Discover how Profitero delivers critical online pricing intelligence to more than 40 global retailers to help them stay price competitive across all channels. Email us at sales@profitero.com or visit www.profitero.com to find out how we can help you drive sales and be successful in 2014.
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About Profitero
Profitero is the leading global provider of online competitor pricing data. We provide both bricks & mortar and online retailers with their competitors’ prices, promotions and full product assortment information. Profitero’s accurate and timely competitor intelligence enables our customers to make better informed and more profitable pricing decisions, helping them to increase sales as well as margins.
More than 40 global retailers, including Staples, Sam’s Club, Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado, rely on Profitero Price Intelligence to:
- Benchmark competitor prices
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Our pricing data can be seamlessly integrated into price optimization solutions such as Blue Yonder, Revionics and IBM DemandTec, to deliver more accurate and effective price optimization. Profitero is also the preferred supplier of online competitor pricing data to Nielsen’s retail customers across more than 100 countries.
To discover how Profitero can help make your pricing smarter, contact us at sales@profitero.com or visit www.profitero.com.